Eberechi Eze was unveiled by Arsenal before the 5-0 win over Leeds.
The Emirates Stadium was a cauldron of noise as the England international emerged from the tunnel, wearing his new No.10 shirt following a £68m move from Crystal Palace.
Eberechi Eze then took his seat to watch his new teammates hammer Leeds, and his response to the third goal – scored by Viktor Gyokeres – was particularly telling.
Eberechi Eze looked excited after Viktor Gyokeres found the net
It was almost as if the Londoner’s eyes lit up after he watched the Swede score his first Premier League goal for Arsenal – impressively driving down the left flank before cutting in and finishing superbly.
As you can see in the footage above, Eze had a telling smirk on his face, as if to suggest he feels him and Gyokeres will be able to strike up an effective partnership at Arsenal.
Gary Neville also noticed the reaction, saying live on Sky Sports: “Ebere Eze, a little smile.
“He’ll be in that position in a couple of weeks, wanting his first goal for his new club.”
Eze is hugely effective when it comes to both scoring and creating, having recorded 14 goals and 11 assists in 43 appearances for Crystal Palace last season.
That is fairly well-documented, although the creativity of Gyokeres is actually less so.
Eberechi Eze might feel Viktor Gyokeres could actually help him score more often
Gyokeres – who hid a dig in his celebration for his second goal against Leeds – incredibly netted 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting CP, but his tally of assists seems to fly under the radar.
The Sweden international provided 28 assists in these 102 outings, which means he set up a goal every 3.6 games on average.
Even if Gyokeres is not the one to directly lay on a pass for Eze, his willing runs into the channels often drag defenders wide, which should open up acres of space for the £68m man to cause havoc in a central attacking midfield role.